Monday, February 01, 2010

It's that time of year again. Vanity Fair refers to these nine actresses as "dolls" and we're certainly not here to dispute their smooth porcelain loveliness (the median age here is 23 and they're all lily white). But when I hear "dolls" now I think of only the Dollhouse, and I'm wondering just what "imprints" we're dealing with here. Which one of these girls is actually a savage killer? Or skilled in all positions of the kama sutra? Or a hostage negotiator? Or a genius computer programmer?

But more importantly, which of them will seem like a big "duh" for the cover treatment seven or eight years from now and which will be like a, "who...what now?". If you click on the Vanity Fair label below you can see past investigations of this Hollywood Issue's covergirls (and boys).

I do think we'll keep hearing about Evan Rachel Wood, and that's ok. The same with Abbie Cornish. And we're destined to hear a lot about Kristen Stewart even if we/her don't want to. I don't know why but I don't think Emma Stone or Anna Kendrick we'll be stars, and Rebecca Hall and Carey Mulligan seem like the type to always be there, even if they will never be as famous. Maybe they'll keep doing solid work in indies.

If I were to say which kind of career these ladies will have in 10 years' time I'd say (I've decided to think of someone in their 30s/40s to whom I can compare the kind of sucess I'd expect from each one):

- Evan Rachel Wood - Juliette Lewis (capable of the best and of the worst)

- Rebecca Hall - Marisa Tomei (always loved, never fully considered a star, always considered an asset to her films)

- Kristen Stewart - Kate Beckinsale?(it's the most paradigmatic case: it's not that she does not have the talent, it's not that she does not have the looks, it's just she LOVES to look plain boring and BORED and confused and indifferent and stiff) - I can't decide if she's serious about her craft...

I've been on a feminist kick so this whole cover is offensive, but now that that's out of the way, no doll collection can be complete without Evan Rachel Wood, and KRISTEN STEWART ROCKS, though she DOES look a pouty boy on the cover.

Speaking of why not put pouty pretty boy John Robinson (ELEPHANT, DOGTOWN & Z-BOYS)in the shuffle, just to see if anyone notices?

Yeah, Vanity F, you guys are really subversive... I can't even tell these girls apart thanks to all that airbrushing.

Keira Knightley is 24, Michelle Williams is 29, Emily Blunt is 26, Zooey Deschanel is 30 (turned 30 the 17th so I cheated and added her in this list anyway), Gabourey Sidibe is 26, Kirsten Dunst is 27, Natalie Portman is 29, Anne Hathaway is 27, Scarlett Johansson is 25.

I don't know how can we talk about New Generation in Hollywood without the girls I mentioned above. I don't think anyone of those has already completely proven their worth, some have Oscar nominations but they're all under 30 and will be names to remember in 10 years' time.

It really throws me off that Rebecca Hall is in there. She has the screen maturity of a thirty-four year old, and I'm always surprised when I remember how young she actually is. The most talented in the group, fo sho. Versatile and engaging without stunning looks to rely on, she'll have the longest career of them all.

I would like to put 200 on Emma Stone. I see good things for Carey Mulligan and Amanda Sygfried, for obvious reasons. I do not see much of a future for Evan Rachel Wood (did you see her on True Blood? Awful) or Kirsten Stewart. Abbie Cornish ... yawn ... or maybe there's an Alex Forrest lurking in her. She went pretty crazy IMO in "Bright Star."

Marsha Mason is funny. And Francisco never spoke truer words. Black list on the blackies anyone? And I don't care if Gabby is overweight. If she can work a red carpet, she can work a vanity fair cover.

Jorge, I think most of the girls you've mentioned have been on VF Hollywood covers of year's past. And I think KiKi has already crested.

"Gabby" only has one great perf to her name. Evan Rachel Wood also has one (Thirteen), but she also had good perfs in great (The Wrestler) and well-received (Whatever Works, Across the Universe) films.

The Gabourey Sidibe absence case is wrong on so many levels! Ok, no overweight black girls on the cover? Fine, then where's Freida Pinto? She's definitely frail enough for this cover. She's no acting genius, for sure, but are Kristen Stewart and Amanda Seyfried more deserving? Really? Where's Zoe Saldana? Where's Mélanie Laurent? It's not about being politically correct, or representing diversity, it's about who will be part of the New Hollywood. Lame.

You know, all week I've run into minority actors, male and female, who were complaining about how they are not recognized and the types of roles that are out there. Each time, I thought to myself "I know it's hard, but it's not about race."

Today seeing all the "dolls" in Vanity Fair, i have to agree that it seems racists. There is not one minority actres out there that can be considered a "doll"?!!

That's really astounding. To those minority actors who i poo pooed this week. i was wrong!

I´m specially missing Mélanie Laurent, Saoirse Ronan and Gabby, and if Rebecca Hall is there ( a decission I really love)I think they coud have put Charlotte Gainsbourg too. Emily Blunt was in last year cover and I think so was Zoe Saldana. Dakota/Elle Fanning or maybe even Abigail Bresling would have been good choices too.

On the other hand I LOVE looking at Abbie Cornish, Anna Kendrick, Rebecca Hall, Evan Rachel Wood and Amanda Seyfried. But Kirsten!? I can understand it but I just hate her. And Emma Stone? I don´t get it. Mia was GREAT in In treatment.

And answering who is the kamasutra doll, looking at the cover I would say Kendrick, just watch that look and their... Looking at the other photo I´d say Emma Stone: what´s she doing with her hands?? Girl, wait, they´re taking you a photo!

Abbie cornish over before she has begun,what was all the fuss about her in bright star no precusor love etc etc,I ThOUGHT SHE WAS THE 1 - MY 2009 BEST ACTRESS,I watched the film and found her to be unconvincing in her crying scenes and totally unperiod,too much tan and modern hair,truly overrated and I NOW SEE WHY SHE HAS BEEN SHUT OUT THERE WAS NOTHING IN THAT PERFROMANCE.

And Abbie Cornish is really sexy, I just love her, specially in the second picture, what a nice dress! Also love Rebecca´s. But please...look at that photo carefully: don´t you think Amanda and Mia are really scary? It´s like Village of the Dammned meets Cube or something like that. Somebody please kill Mia´s hairdresser! and don´t you think Evan Rachel Wood has something of Bettie/Betty Page/Boop in both photos? And why Carey Mulligan looks like the everybody´s grandma?

It doesn't matter if Gabby has had only one role. She does have another project lined up, she's assured an Oscar nom. She should've been there. What about Frieda Pinto?? if Emma Stone is there she surely can be there too. And I don't know why every thinks that these spreads are only for people under 30. Amy Adams was on the cover two years ago and she's older than Winslet.

Not sure what that means!!! Cornish is 27. Amy Adams was 33 when she was on the cover.__________This is exactly why I wasn't upset in the slightest that Obama was on the cover last year. ::yawn:: next______________ Co-sign, seriously this is what everyone was mad about last year!!!

Evan rachel has been acting a while, so she isn't new. Kristen and Amanda have been on the cover of one already in 2008, so they don't need to be there this time. Emma Stone is not great so no to her also. These four could have been ommitted and they find other peeps.

-Rebecca Hall will end up with the most Oscar nominations.-Amanda Seyfried will be the rom-com queen (just seems like that's where she's headed)-Evan Rachel Wood will be the critical darling who avoids mainstream stuff and who never really "arrives"-Kristen Stewart will fade into obscurity-Anna Kendrick will never get another Oscar nomination

I don't know why - because in the end all VF covers look pretty much the same- but I find this one particularly creepy. It's not only the über-whiteness of it (as an exaggerated version of Hollywood where translucent skin seems to be a value by itself as well as youth), but the homogeneity. How can such different actress look so much the same? If I were a VF editor, I'd go unashamedly with the doll thing and would have them all dressed in Barbie outfits and would make them pose as such. At least, it'd show some sense of humor.Covers like this one make it look as if there was someone at VF who uses the covers as wallpaper so s/he requires that all covers should use the same colors so they can all fit together. But, probably they prefer to call it "trademark" look. :)

I love Anna Kendrick, but somehow I see a little Margaret Hamilton or Agnes Moorehead when I look at her - accomplished strong supporters. I think she'll work.

Forgive me, but Mia who?

I saw Rebecca Hall on stage as Rosalind, and she was fab. And I loved her in Vicky, Christina, Barcelona. She'll work, no question, whether in film or on stage.

Like Carey Mulligan and she seems to have her head on straight.

Kristin Stewart - holding any idea until after The Runaways pic, but she definitely would need to outgrow the teen angst thing. Can't see her doing work on par with Mulligan, Hall, Seyfried. Like Wood, and she's done some solid stuff.

Boy, looking at this, you can see how tough it is for actresses.

True, there could have been Saldan, or Epps, or anyone, really. They're all super-thin, too. With the pastels they all look like Necco wafers.

me and my friend were talking about this last night and she mentioned that this so called 'list' is by no means prestigious, but more of a database of generic, interchangeable women that can be chewed out of the industry at any second, to be honest.

where is the diversity that hollywood is struggling to represent?

bad omission of Zoe Saldana there. bad, bad omission. she was in freaking star trek - which is embedded into american pop culture way more than anything emma stone, anna kendrick, kirsten stewart or any of those girls was in.